Anti-nicking golf club



' Dec. 18, 1956 M. B. REACH ANTI-NICK'ING GOLF CLUB Filed Feb. 25, 1954m m, y M n W ATTORN E 15 United States Patent Office I 2,774,600Patented Dec. 18, 1956 ANTI-NICKING GOLF CLUB Milton B. Reach,Springfield, Mass.

Application February 25, 1954, Serial No. 412,494 4 Claims. (01 273-174)This invention relates to golf clubs and aims to provide a golf iron ofimproved construction and'utility.

In playing the iron stroke in golf the front edge of the club, which inthe line caused by the juncture of the face plane and the sole plane,when properly played, passes under the equator of the ball, in thedownward sweep of the club and takes up the divot (i. e. cuts throughthe turf or soil) after the face of the club is in contact. In the caseof a faulty swing, commonly termed topping, the edge of the club may hitthe ball first, and this usually results in a cut, nicked or badlymarred ball (an expensive item of play).

Furthermore, as just mentioned, in the proper play of an iron theleading edge passes into the earth after the face contacts the ball, andthis edge becomes subject to the frictional wear of turf or soilconditions. Hidden gravel, for instance, will produce nicks, the edgebetween the striking face and the sole of the club is roughened, andballs, club shafts, and other articles forcibly contacting the roughenededge suffer accordingly.

Again, when a club has been played and is replaced in the bag (sometimeswith careless force) the top edge of its blade strikes the front edgesand soles of other clubs and such top edge thus in turn, becomes marred.

The present invention has for a principal object the provision of a golfiron that eliminates or reduces one or more of the above mentioneddifiiculties. Other objects and advantages contributing to the generalobject, will be apparent from the following descriptions of anillustrative embodiment of the invention. The invention resides in theimproved club herein described, and in the method of producing the same,and is more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings of the illustrative embodiment Fig. 1 is afront elevation of a golf iron embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof from below.

Fig. 3 is a cross section thereof taken on the plane 33 of Fig. 1looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the form shown in the drawings the club is typical of any one of theirons used for the iron shots in the game of golf. Such irons usuallyhave a flat front face and a flat rear face 11 converging upwardly tothe top or top edge of the club at 12. The bottom face of the club 13,called the sole, extends from the front to the back of the club. Itsjuncture with the front face forms the edge or front edge of the clubhead 14. The edge 14 and all other junctures of the several planesdefining the club faces are usually slightly rounded. In conventionalmanufacture the club head is forged oversize and ground down to theproper size and weight.

With the conventional club it is the edge 14 that digs into the turf inthe proper stroking of the ball, and that strikes and cuts or mars theball in the event of a topping stroke, and it is the impact between thetop 12 of a club being inserted in a bag and the edge 14 and sole 13 ofanother club, already inserted in the bag, that causes additional damageto the club heads.

In accordance with the present invention, the edge 14 of the club head,and preferably also the entire sole area 13 therebehind, is formed ofrubber-like resilient plastic or elastic material. Natural rubber orsynthetic elastic or resilient plastic materials, preferably of aconsistency similar to that of automobile tire casings, is employed, andwhen the term elastomer is used hereinafter it is to be understood asincluding any such rubbery materials.

Thus, in the illustrative embodiment the club head in overall outline isconventional, and has a rounded heel portion 15, a rounded toe portion16, asubstantially flat front striking face 10, a back face 11 and asubstantially flat bottom sole area,'each extending from the heelportion 15 to the toe portion 16. Further, in the form shown, the solearea is recessed to receive an insert 13 of resilient rubber-likematerial with its front edge flush with the front face 10 of the clubhead. Preferably the insert 13, as viewed in Fig. 2, is substantiallycoextensive with the sole area of the club, and in addition, the insert13 is preferably formed along its front edge with a flange 13a extendingupwardly for a short distance in the front face of the club head, i. e.for a distance substantially greater than the depth of the rubber on thesole area, but

- terminating below the normal striking area of the face 10.

As a rule a sole-insert thickness of about is preferred, with a flangeabout deeper, or 7 deep overall.

Since the edge of the club at 14 is thus covered with or formed of softresilient rubbery elastomer, it does not cut, mar or nick a ball whenthe ball is topped" or struck with the edge 14 of .the club head ratherthan with the central portion of the metal striking face 10.

Since'rubbery elastomer is much more highly resistant to abrasion orimpact with stones or metal surfaces than metal, the edge 14 and theother parts of the sole 13 and lower edge of the face 10 that are thuselastomer covered do not become nicked and chipped in use of the club.

Further, since the edge 14, and preferably the entire sole area 13, iselastomer covered, when the club is inverted in the bag and other clubsare then inserted, a relatively soft resilient surface is presented forimpact by the top edges of the other clubs and interclub nicking andchipping is thus avoided.

In addition, by the flanged construction 13a backed up by the metalabutment afforded by the underlying portion of the metal club head,chances of tearing loose of the insert 13 are minimized.

Furthermore, the elastomer coating of the front edge and sole area ofthe club head cushions impacts thereof against obstructions during thetaking of a divot, rendering it practical to die-cast the metal portionsof the club head to final size in a single operation if desired,although, the metal portion of the club head may be forged if preferred.

In manufacturing the club head any suitable procedure may be employedfor securing the elastomer insert to the club head. A particularlydesirable method of forming the club consists in first forming the metalportion of the head with the sole and edge recess, preferably bydie-casting, the surfaces being tapered to facilitate removal from thedies, as shown. The surfaces of the recess may then be brass plated orotherwise treated to promote bonding of the rubber material thereto. Theelastomer, preferably a vulcanizable rubber, is then compounded andmolded into the recess or cavity under heat and pressure. The rubber orplastic may be directly moulded into the prepared recesses under asuitable pressure operation or it may be preformed in a separate moldingoperation and thereafter cohesively united to the metal head in itsworking position. In this form of assembly a club manufacturer, lackinga rubber manufacturing department, may purchase these parts at remotepoints, store under suitable conditions and assemble as needed. Withvulcaniz'ing stock, the temperatures and pressures employed for formingtire casings, rubber-tometal spring shackles, etc. may be employed. Thevulcanized insert, molded flush with the surrounding areas of the clubhead, is thus firmly bonded in the recess, and the club may be shaftedand used as soon as the vulcanizing operation is completed.

While there have been described herein what are at present consideredpreferred embodiments of the invention, .it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that many modifications and changes may be madetherein without departing from the essence of the invention. It istherefore to be understood that the exemplary embodiments areillustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which isdefined .in the appended claims, and that all modifications that comewithin the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intendedto be included therein.

I claim:

1. A golf club of the iron type with a head having a metal striking face.and a resilient elastomer sole portion, said elastomer sole portionextending from the lower edge of the striking face toward the back ofsaid club head, said sole portion having a flange extending along andlying flush with the lower edge of said striking face, and said headhaving a metal abutment behind said flange.

2. A golf club with a head comprising heel and toe portions andextending therebetween a rigid front striking face, a back face spacedtherefrom, and a bottom sole area; said club head having a resilientelastomer insert with a sole portion extending throughout its sole areafrom said front face to said back face and from said heel portion tosaid toe portion; said insert having a face portion extending upwardlyfrom said sole portion and terminating flush with said front strikingface and forming the facial edge of the club head therebelow from theheel portion to the toe portion thereof.

3. A golf club of the iron type comprising a metal head, said headhaving a recessed sole area, a recessed front face area contiguousthereto and extending upwardly therefrom and below the normal strikingarea of the front face, and an elastomer insert filling said recessedareas and bonded therein, said insert filling said recesses flush withthe surrounding areas of the club head and extending upwardly in thefront face of the club head for a distance substantially greater thanthe depth of the sole area recess,.but terminating below the normalstriking area of the club head.

4. A golf club with a head of rigid material presenting a rigid normalstriking face for engaging with the ball, said rigid head having anelastomer filled sole recess thereof extending from the heel area of thehead lengthwise along the sole and upwardly into the toe area of theclub to a point intermediate the sole and the top of the club head, saidelastomer filled sole recess having a vertical extension in the frontface of the club head below the rigid normal striking face thereof, andalso extending in said front face curvilinearly around the toe of theclub.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS550,976 Jennings Dec. 10, 1895 1,049,266 Rivers Dec. 31, 1912 1,436,579Dayton Nov. 21, 1922 1,602,567 Colwell Oct. 12, 1926 1,946,208 HamptonFeb. 6, 1934 2,014,829 Young Sept. 17, 1935 2,328,583 Reach Sept. 7,1943 2,429,351 Fetterolf Oct. 21, 1947

